The need to store digital files, documents, pictures, images and other data continues to increase rapidly. In connection with the electronic storage of data, various systems have been devised for the rapid and secure storage of large amounts of data. Such systems may include a number of storage devices that are used in a coordinated fashion. For example, data may be stored on one or more hard disk drives. However, the operation of hard disk drives is compromised in the presence of shock and vibration.
Hard disk drives typically include shock and vibration sensors. These shock and vibration sensors can cause the associated disk drive to inhibit and retard read and write operations to prevent errors in the presence of shock and vibration events. During a long shock or vibration event, the disk drive will eventually time out, issuing an error status to the host system or an associated controller. In a typical system, while a write operation is being inhibited by a disk drive, the host or controller will nonetheless continue to send data to the disk drive. This can result in overloading buffer memory provided as part of the disk drive, triggering an error event, which in turn causes further delay in storing the data.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide information regarding shock and vibration events to a host and/or controller, in order to allow the host and/or controller to take remedial action in response to such an event.